Thursday, February 7, 2008

Would a Loving God Really Send Anyone To Hell?

The question goes something like this, "Would a loving God really send anyone to hell? This is how the argument is verbalized to dispel the fact that God made hell for those who sin. While this doctrine is ever growing, even some outstanding Christian pastors have jumped on the bandwagon. However, no matter the status of the one spewing the dispute, a Christian must not go by what they say or hear say, but totally by the Word of God. That indeed is the only standard to abide by when confronted with things of the unknown.

In today's society, many believe hell does not exist or is hell here on earth. Another thought injects the suggestion that death is simply the grave without any consequences for this life's actions -- condensed into total annihilation when we die. Yes, and the list gets even longer as time passes. To understand why people believe these things, you need to read "my interview with Satan" on this blog site.

From a biblical perspective, not one of these views line up. Let's answer these one by one. Why would a loving God send anyone to hell? This question might best be worded as: "Why do I want to send myself to hell?" We are all accountable for our own actions. God gave each of us a free-will to make choices. Whatever choices you have made did not come from God. Each of us are responsible for our individual actions in life.

God did everything He could do to set us free from the wages of sin. He died in our place so we would not have to pay the price ourselves. Does that sound like a God who does not love us? We must quit blaming a loving God for what we do. If we reject God's way of salvation, we are saying, I want to pay the price for my sins myself and I want to live an eternity with Satan and not with God.

In the Book of Revelation 20:14, it declares that death and hell shall stand before God to be judged according to their works, after which both death and hell are sent into the lake of fire. Meanwhile, a previous verse 20:10 describes the lake of fire as the place where the beast and the false prophet are sent to be tormented day and night forever and ever.

So, the question is: Why does God (in verse Revelation 20:14) judge those in hell according to their works if they will only be dead or annihilated?  Doesn't it seem counter to reason, if one person did a lot of works during his life and another person did nothing, that they both should get the same reward if death simply means annihilation. Would not a better summation be that each are judge by their works, meaning that there are various stages of punishment, and each receives their punishment as each one deserves according to what works they did while on earth.

Will hell cease to exist if we refrain from talking about it? Should we take our chances simply on the premise that we heard someone say there is no hell? On the other hand, is there a reason for not believing the Bible, which teaches repeatedly of a literal hell? I am sure you have checked out every avenue before you made your decision. The Bible says God is faithful and wishes no one to perish, so how can we blame God for our rejecting Jesus?

The key to being sure you make the right decision, comes from what Jesus told us. He said: "He who comes to Me, I will in no wise cast out." If you have not come to Him, or thought you did at one time, I urge you to do it again to be sure. God only accepts a willing vessel. That is why many do not receive the love He offers. God searches the heart for sincerity. Do not give up on God. He loves you and sent His Son Jesus who died to show you of His love.  https://doveandword.com